Our Funded Research Projects

Updated April 2024

Title Sort descending Principal Investigator / Supervisor Program Project Start Date Project End Date Total $ Awarded
Identification of mechanisms leading to antibody independent RBC hemolysis Principal Investigator: BRANCH, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: FRIAS BOLIGAN, Kayluz
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 150000.0
Identification of protein biomarkers for red cell quality Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHEN, Deborah
Graduate Fellowship Program 100000.0
Identifying biomarkers for Staphylococcus aureus contamination of platelet component Principal Investigator: RAMIREZ-ARCOS, Sandra

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHI, Sylvia Ighem
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 150000.0
Impact of storage on the function of cord blood hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: JAHAN, Suria
Graduate Fellowship Program 104000.0
Improving blood product quality Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MA, Hongshen, JOHNSON, James, D'ALESSANDRO, Angelo
Intramural Research Grant Program 304462.0
Improving pathogen inactivation: the dengue virus-induced platelet proteome Principal Investigator: PRYZDIAL, Ed

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TEGEGN, Tseday Zewdu
Graduate Fellowship Program 104000.0
Improving the cryostorage of blood products using novel small molecule cryoprotectants Principal Investigator: BEN, Robert

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ACKER, Jason P. , ALLAN, David S.
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program 384180.0
IN-TRUST: Using a transfusion database to explore the immune-modulatory impacts of blood transfusion and the clinical impacts of blood processing changes Principal Investigator: NING, Shuoyan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ARNOLD, Donald, ZELLER, Michelle, ACKER, Jason, LI, Na, HEDDLE, Nancy, HILLIS, Christopher, ROCHWERG, Bram, SYED, Summer
Intramural Research Grant Program 270352.1
Incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in pediatric oncology patients Principal Investigator: WEBERT, Kathryn

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Small Project Funding Program 15000.0
Influence of eryptosis and storage on transfused red cell recovery in sepsis Principal Investigator: SHEFFIELD, William

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BRANCH, Donald, LIAW, Patricia, HEDDLE, Nancy, QADRI, Syed
Intramural Research Grant Program 283569.0
Informing the distribution of COVID-19 convalescent plasma through implementation of CONCOR-1 in British Columbia Principal Investigator: SHIH, Andrew

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VASARHELYI, Krisztina, MANUSHA, Stephania Anna, STEINER, Ted, MCMASTER, Robert, DALY, Patricia, LI, Na, DOWN, Douglas, HEDDLE, Nancy, PETRASZKO, Tanya, LIOW, Eric, PAVLOVICH, Sasha, RUTHERFORD, Alexander
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program 30000.0
Innovative strategies for detection of uncharacterized platelet ligands from blood plasma and autoantibodies in blood Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SLAVKOVIC, Sladjana
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 162400.0
Investigating a new class of small molecule ice recrystallization inhibitors for red blood cell cryopreservation Principal Investigator: BEN, Robert

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: AMPAW, Anna
Graduate Fellowship Program 112333.3
Investigating the mechanism of anti-CD44 antibody amelioration of IVIg-treatable disease Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: NORRIS, Peter
Graduate Fellowship Program 112333.3
Investigation of pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of murine Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI) Principal Investigator: SEMPLE, John

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: McVEY, Mark
Graduate Fellowship Program 52000.0
IVIG utilization and its impact on platelet count in pregnant women with moderate thrombocytopenia Principal Investigator: KHALIFE, Roy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TINMOUTH, Alan, EL-CHAAR, Darine, MACK, Jonathan, KAROVITCH, Alan, FERGUSSON, Dean, WEBERT, Kathryn
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program 22217.3
Legal and policy strategies to optimize organ donation in Alberta Principal Investigator: TOEWS, Maeghan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
James Kreppner Fellowship Program 150000.0
Leveraging equity-focused implementation science to evaluate and support the re-integration of men who have sex with men into the blood donation system Principal Investigator: GOLDMAN, Mindy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VESNAVER, Elisabeth
CIHR Health System Impact Fellowship 108500.0
Mathematical modeling - comparing HIV risk between MSM donation strategies Principal Investigator: O'BRIEN, Sheila

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: GRÉGOIRE, Yves, SEED, Clive, CUSTER, Brian, STEELE, Whitney, DAVISON, Katy, PILLONEL, Josiane
MSM Research Grant Program 18000.0
Mathematical Modelling – Comparing HIV Risk Between MSM Donation Strategies Principal Investigator: O'BRIEN, Sheila

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: GERMAIN, Marc, GRÉGOIRE, Yves, SEED, Clive, CUSTER, Brian, STEELE, Whitney, DAVISON, Katy, PILLONEL, Josiane
MSM Research Grant Program 24000.0
McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research Principal Investigator: ARNOLD, Donald

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Transfusion Medicine Research Program Support Award 1303333.5
McMaster Transfusion Research Program Principal Investigator: HEDDLE, Nancy

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Program Support Award for Canadian Transfusion Medicine and Science Research Program 833333.0
Measurement of heavy metals in donor blood in Canada Principal Investigator: DEVINE, Dana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SERRANO, Katherine, LEVIN, Elena, MURPHY, Michael, BARAKAUSKAS, Vilte, HADJESFAMDOARI, Narges, ARRIETA, Angele, RICHARDSON-SANCHEZ, Tomas
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program 29971.0
Mechanism of anti-D-like antibody-mediated amelioration of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: YU, Xiaojie (Ben)
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 106200.0
Mechanisms of anti-αIIb mediated miscarriage in fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CHEN, Zi Yan
Graduate Fellowship Program 52000.0
Mechanisms of antibody-independent transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) Principal Investigator: KUEBLER, Wolfgang

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SEMPLE, John W.
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program 328712.0
Mechanisms of erythrocyte antibody-mediated immune suppression Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: NI, Heyu, SEMPLE, John
Intramural Research Grant Program 400000.0
Microfluidic devices to measure the deformability of stored red blood cells Principal Investigator: MA, Hongshen

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SCOTT, Mark D.
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program 398301.0
Modified platelet storage containers to improve quality during storage Principal Investigator: KIZHAKKEDATHU, Jayachandran

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: PEREYRA DOS SANTOS, Nicolas
Graduate Fellowship Program 52000.0
Modulation of biofilm formation, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance by Staphylococcus aureus during platelet storage Principal Investigator: RAMIREZ-ARCOS, Sandra

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SAD, Subash, MAH, Thien-Fah
Intramural Research Grant Program 323252.6
Monoclonal antibodies with anti-D like activity in amelioration of murine ITP Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KHAN, Ramsha
Graduate Fellowship Program 56166.7
Monoclonal antibodies with anti-D-like activity in the amelioration of murine immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SEMPLE, John W., NI, Heyu
Intramural Research Grant Program 400000.0
Monovalent anti-FcγRI strategy in transfusion medicine Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: TUNDIDOR, Yaima
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 162400.0
Monovalent Fc receptor blockade using novel fusion proteins: The road towards an IVIg replacement Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SHEFFIELD, William, BRANCH, Donald
Intramural Research Grant Program 400000.0
MRI guided focused ultrasound facilitated IVIg immunotherapy as a therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease Principal Investigator: AUBERT, Isabelle

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: DUBEY, Sonam
Graduate Fellowship Program 100000.0
Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion. The MINT rollover trial Principal Investigator: HEBERT, Paul

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CARSON, Jeffrey L., DEVEREAUX, Philip J., EIKELBOOM, John W., FERGUSSON, Dean A., GOODMAN, Shaun G. , MCALISTER, Finlay A. , TINMOUTH, Alan T.
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program 140210.0
National evaluation of platelet transport bags to reduce wastage Principal Investigator: WEBERT, Kathryn

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: CALLUM, Jeannie, LIN, Yulia, LIEBERMAN, Lani, PENDERGRAST, Jacob, CSERTI-GAZDEWICH, Christine
Small Project Funding Program 9740.0
Neonatal outcomes after transfusion of ABO non-identical blood (Neo-ABO) Principal Investigator: SOLH, Ziad

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: HEDDLE, Nancy, COOK, Richard J., FUSCH, Christoph
Small Project Funding Program 14988.7
New cryosolution for stem cell-based therapeutics Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: BEN, Robert, HARPER, Marie-Ellen, CHAKRABORTY, Nilay
Intramural Research Grant Program 180000.0
New platform for targeted gene editing of hematopoietic stem cells for cellular
therapy
Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MAGANTI, Harinad
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 120000.0
New solution for cord blood unit preservation Principal Investigator: PINEAULT, Nicolas

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: KAUSHAL, Richa
Graduate Fellowship Program 116500.0
Novel cell-surface engineering methods to increase immune-tolerance of allogenic cell transplantation Principal Investigator: KIZHAKKEDATHU, Jayachandran

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: MOON, Haisle
Graduate Fellowship Program 90333.3
Novel detection strategies for new platelet ligands and anti-platelet antibodies Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: NEVES, Miguel
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 150000.0
Novel mechanisms of platelet aggregation: Roles of non-classical beta-3 integrin ligands and fibronectin in thrombosis and hemostasis Principal Investigator: NI, Heyu

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee:
Canadian Blood Services-CIHR Partnership Operating Grant Program 398871.0
Novel techniques in transfusion medicine: Advancing clinical investigations and discovering new ligands of platelets Principal Investigator: BECKETT, Andrew

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SHOARA, Aron
Postdoctoral Fellowship Program 164200.0
Of skin, sperm, and blood: A comparative analysis of exemptions in Canadian human tissue legislation Principal Investigator: CATTAPAN, Alana

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: VON TIGERSTROM, Barbara, NELSON, Eric, DAWSON, Rosanne
James Kreppner Award Program 43275.0
Operational impact of individual risk assessment options Principal Investigator: O'BRIEN, Sheila

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: ROBILLARD, Pierre, GOLDMAN, Mindy, MYHAL, Geneviève
MSM Research Grant Program 168000.0
Optimization of monoclonal anti-erythrocyte antibodies for improved immunoprophylaxis in a murine model Principal Investigator: LAZARUS, Alan

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: NI, Heyu
Intramural Research Grant Program 400000.0
Optimizing Pre-Chemotherapy Anemia in Gynecologic Oncology (OPRA-2): A quality improvement initiative Principal Investigator: VICUS, Danielle

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: SPÉNARD, Elisabeth, LIN, Yulia, KHANDELWAL, Aditi, TANO, Ruby, JADUNANDAN, Saudia, KNIGHT, Dawn
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program 30000.0
Optimizing rejuvenation to improve the product quality of pathogen-inactivation and γ-irradiated red cell concentrates Principal Investigator: SHEFFIELD, William

Co-Investigator(s) / Trainee: QADRI, Syed, SCHUBERT, Peter, DEVINE, Dana
Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program 30000.0